


Applause

by berrry_fics



Category: Smosh
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Circus, Alternate Universe - Drag, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Anxiety, Best Friends, Circus, Circus Smash, Co-workers, Comfort, Competitive, Cosplay, Crying, Cussing, Dancing, Dating, Disappointment, Drag Queens, Drinking, Drinking & Talking, Drunk Dancing, Drunken Flirting, Drunken Shenanigans, Drunkenness, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fake Dating, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Few people are straight, First Kiss, Happy Ending, Hot Topic, Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Inside jokes, Jealousy, LGBTQ, LGBTQ Character, May add a sequel, Minor Original Character(s), Mutual Pining, New York City, Nicknames, No Sex, Other, POV Third Person, Phone Calls & Telephones, Pining, Polyamory, Roommates, Secrets, Side Relationships - Freeform, Social Media, Songfic, Sort Of, Tags May Change, Teenagers, Texting, Worry, acrobats, group chats, gymnasts, i hope yall like this, part time jobs, stunts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-12-28 10:16:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 11,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21135080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/berrry_fics/pseuds/berrry_fics
Summary: Courtney and her friends all work at Circus Smash, or Circus Smosh as they like to call it. Unfortunately, she has a crush on 2 of her coworkers, Shayne and Damien, who seem to be fighting for her attention. But are they?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Circus](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11864460) by [R_Sublett](https://archiveofourown.org/users/R_Sublett/pseuds/R_Sublett). 

> The title is from Applause by Lady Gaga. I think it fits this story very well since they "live for the applause". There are mentions of other songs as well (they're good, check them out!). Also, some chapters are just the Circus Smash group chat messages because I had so much fun writing them. This is 100% 3rd person Courtney POV with some minor "but she didn't notice..." stuff. I hope you enjoy this story as much as I did writing it! Also thanks to R_Sublett for inspiring me! I made it as different as I could without making this fic uninteresting. Thank you all!

Court woke up with her head pounding. She trudged out from her small bedroom out into the combined living room and kitchen, welcomed by the smell of waffles, bacon, and eggs. Sure, being in the circus does crazy things to people, but Courtney and Boze were sane enough to have normal breakfasts, and so were the rest of the circus employees.

“Hey, ‘sup b*tch,” Boze greeted, flipping bacon into the air and catching it in the pan again. Her greeting was a bit loud for Courtney’s hangover. She stuck her pointer fingers in her ears and scowled, but eventually broke and laughed sleepily.

“Not much, beautiful,” she teased. Boze’s dark brown, almost black eyes widened.

“Did I fall asleep with my makeup on again?!” She gasped. Courtney threw her head back and combined a laugh and scream at the ceiling as Boze panicked. She then became very serious, as if she were being interviewed for a job. She folded her hands on the counter as she sat in one of the barstools.

“No.” Then she was playful as ever, once again. “However, you flirted with EVERYONE last night, you were so drunk!” Boze groaned as she carelessly dumped half the scrambled eggs and bacon onto Courtney’s waffle. She then slid it across the counter to Courtney, who swiftly picked up a fork and dug in.  _ I guess you get good at that kind of stuff when your other job is a fast food chef,  _ Court thought to herself. She was just a Hot topic employee outside of the circus, and no one ever recognized her, even if she recognized them. All the crazy makeup and costumes, no wonder no one ever said “hi” in the streets.

“But was it really everyone?” She asked as she shoveled eggs into her mouth quickly.

“Well, it was Wes, Sohinki, Noah, Keith, Shayne, Damien, Olivia, Ian, Anthony, and me, so that just leaves out Lasercorn, Joven, Mari, and Flitz.” She sighed and the blonde realized something.

“You got a crush on one of the guys I mentioned?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. Boze blushed just a little, and Courtney pressed on.

“Lasercorn?” Boze shook her head. “Mari?” Another shake. “Flitz?” No. “Hm, could it possibly be… Joven?” No one really crushed on Joven, he’s kind of old enough to be everyone’s step-dad or something and is generally more of a pervert. However, Boze stuttered finding an answer and Courtney could feel the heat radiating from the petite girl’s body.

“No- I- not really- I just-” Court cackled like a witch. It was October, after all.

“Oh God, I never thought you’d go for Smash’s dad!” Circus Smash (or Smosh, as the employees like to call it) was by far the most visited attraction in NYC. And the guy who works the technical stuff, Joven, is known for being the guy who got Ian and Anthony’s spontaneous idea into blueprint form and eventually onto an empty plot of land next to a McDonald’s. Boze finished her breakfast and chugged her pitch-black coffee, grimacing at the bitterness. “I told you, there’s creamer and milk in the fridge!” “Sunshine” exclaimed.

“Whatever. I’m gonna go take a shower and get ready. I’ve got fry duty today.” Courtney checked the time on the microwave.  _ 7:29. _ She calmly but efficiently finished her breakfast and coffee before also getting ready for the day. She threw on a black and red flannel over a white t-shirt and black ripped jeans, along with a black beanie and heeled combat boots. Typical Hot Topic employee stuff. Just as she finished applying a tiny bit of foundation, Boze peeked in. “We’re gonna pregame at Matt’s place, 6:30. He wants Chinese take-out, can you grab some on the way over?” Without glancing up or stopping her morning routine, Courtney asked the usual questions.

“Reimburse and text me the orders?”

“He said so,” “Mouse” confirmed.

“Got it. Have fun with the fries.” They squeezed each others’ hands before Boze headed out to the McDonald’s by Circus Smash. Court’s phone dinged and she picked it up to find a text from her boss, Keyanna.

**kk--** hey remember you picked up joans shift after yours

**kk-- ** so youre looking at 9 to 6

**kk-- ** sound good

**crotchney-- ** yeah

Really, Courtney had groaned when she read the texts. Joan was such an a*s, always taking time off. Keyanna was really just hours away from firing her, that emo b***h never comes and just expects sympathy and her paycheck. So, Courtney had kindly picked up an extra hour of Joan’s. She grabbed her bag and locked the apartment before going to hail a taxi.


	2. Chapter 2

Well, the extra hour wasn’t horrible, but Courtney was really tired of the emo teenagers complaining about “too much gaming stuff” in a Hot Topic.  _ WTF? _ However, she had 30 minutes to grab the Chinese takeout and get to Matt’s for the pregame.  _ Such a big order. _ After 15 minutes of the workers scooping chicken and rice and such into takeout boxes, she was finally on her way to Matt’s place. She got there just in time.

“Oh my God, Courtney! We were worried we’d have to eat Hot Pockets for dinner!” Shayne exclaimed, taking the food from her hands into opening it on Matt’s table. 

“It’s just now 6:23, we don’t officially start pregaming until 6:30, I think you’d make it,” Courtney informed him.

“No! Flipping around in the air is hard on an empty stomach!” Damien barely got out in between bites of chicken. 

“Really? If I were you, I’d eat very little so I don’t puke all over the guests!” Sohinki advised. Damien shrugged and kept eating. Boze rolled her eyes and sat on Matt’s cheap couch next to Court, their sides touching and elbows in each other’s faces with every bite. Joven goofily slurped noodles and Sohinki fumbled with his chopsticks as Mari laughed, trying to help him master the tricky utensils. Suddenly the door swung open and Wes entered dramatically, stripper style.

“Your queen is here!” He sang as he paraded around the cramped living room. He grabbed Joven’s noodles and started eating, causing the older man to protest.

“Just because you’re Smash’s drag queen doesn’t mean you are OUR queen,” Anthony corrected him. Wes smirked.

“But we are Smash.” Anthony sighed, shook his head, and went back to his egg roll while the rest of us laughed at his lack of effort in the argument. Ian came out with the business iPad and sat in on the couch, squished between Courtney and Olivia.

“Okay guys, we’ve got 2 celebrities in the audience.” Everyone “ooh”-ed and huddled closer on the ground.

“Lasercorn’s wife and son, Sabrina and Tyler, are in the audience.” Everyone clapped. They aren’t exactly celebrities, but everyone at Smash knows the Moss family, so they pretty much are celebrities to them. “So, Lasercorn, you will be doing your fire breathing and such tonight.” He nodded and retreated to get more food. “We also have Olivia and Courtney on the aerial silks tonight. Shayne, let’s just say I hope you have strength tonight and use lots of energy! Be entertaining!” Shayne nodded and closed his eyes, probably focusing on his note. “Mari and Damien! Gymnastics. The rest of you, keep doing what you’re doing. We all clapped and cheered, excited for tonight’s performance. 

“We’ll be trying out new lighting and special effects, don’t let that distract you,” Anthony reminded us. We nodded and Sarah stood up. Remember guys, red and white striped costumes tonight. Let’s make this as iconic as the old circuses!” We cheered again and Courtney stared at Damien and Shayne laughing together.  _ So happy. I wish I could be like them. _ Boze nudged her arm.

“It’s rude to stare,” she giggled. Courtney blushed and nearly choked on her orange chicken. “What? Don’t be jealous, we’re much better friends than they are,” Boze exaggerated. Courtney couldn’t help but laugh again.  _ That’s not what I meant. _

“Come on, loyal subjects! The circus awaits!” Wes yelled. We all disposed of our trash and such before heading off to get our costumes. Boze rode her bicycle ( _ It’s healthy and saves the turtles! Sksksksks!) _ and Courtney hailed another cab. At home, Courtney grabbed her black duffel bag full of makeup, deodorant, a towel, food, other things you use when you’re not on at the circus. She went to her closet specifically for costumes and grabbed the striped one Sarah mentioned, throwing it neatly into the duffel. This time, Courtney took a metro to Circus Smash since the station was right across from the tent. Yes, they still use the striped tent. 

“Let’s shock them out of their God d*mn minds!” Shayne whispered in her ear before she and “Moonlight” went on for their trapeze act. Then Damien and Mari did their insane gymnastics act on the ground (and occasionally in the air) while Shayne did his on the rings. Lasercorn did his fire twirling, eating, and breathing, followed by sword-swallowing and other sharp tricks. Sohinki did amazing with his juggling skills and next Flitz and Keith did their unicycle routines on the ground and Boze’s tightrope. She did her rope walking act after the boys, and afterward, the clown, Gross, who is actually Noah, did comedy, and they finished off with Wes, Circus Smash’s specialty drag queen, Cherry Pole. Circus Smash is, after all, a weird circus. Humans only and the only circus with a drag queen. It may have been one of their largest crowds, that night. The new special effects didn’t affect them at all, in fact, the show was even better! They all went to the Irish pub across the street afterward and had quite the party.  _ After all, it is Saturday night! _


	3. Chapter 3

Yet again, Courtney woke up to the smell of waffles and bacon. She wrapped the blanket around herself and stumbled into the kitchen again, squinting at the light. She groaned and plopped down on the couch before turning on the first thing on Netflix.  _ Why do we pay for this? _

“Good morning, a**hole,” Boze greeted.  _ Something new every day. _

“What did I do last night?”

“You seem to have an idea,” Boze noticed as she slid Courtney’s mug across the counter. She was just too lazy to get up and grab it. “Well, you kissed Olivia and flirted with Cherry.”

“But not Wes?”

“Not Wes,” Boze confirmed. See, there’s a difference between flirting with a man and a drag queen. “Ready for tonight?”

“Mhm,” Courtney mumbled. She picked up her phone and checked her texts.

**Sharah weadle--** Hey Court, Ian wanted me to let you know ahead of time that tonight you and Liv will be doing aerial silks, got it?

She quickly typed in a sleepy response, ignoring her typo, even though she knew Sarah would point it out later.  _ I’m hungover anyway. _

**crotchney-- ** yaeh sure

Then she got a text from the one and only ringmaster Matt Raub.

**mattraub--** hey courtney youre going to do arial silks with olivia tonight

**crotchney--** i know

**crotchney--** sqara already texetd me

**mattraub--** wow courtney youre even nworse than my 

**mattraub-- ** see ive got bad typos too

**crotchney--** well maybe im still hungver form the massive party we had last night

**crotchney-- ** just leave me alone b*tch

**mattraub-- ** wtf

Courtney let out a shallow laugh and closed her eyes. She almost fell asleep, but Boze woke her up.

“Sorry sleeping beauty, but to do aerial silks you gotta eat up. Bacon and waffles, we’re outta eggs. I started the shopping list too, we’re also outta waffle mix now.” Courtney groaned and sat up to find that Boze wasn’t there. Her waffles, bacon, coffee, and fork laid on the coffee table in front of her. She heard the shower turn on and looked behind her to see that the dishwasher was running.  _ Okay. _ She wolfed down her breakfast and went to her own bathroom to change into something athletic. 

“Looks like we’re going with black Nike sports bra and matching leggings,” she mumbled to herself as she dressed. She also wore a black Nike headband, tied it around her head. She put on no-show socks and ties on her black Nike shoes.  _ No makeup, I’m just working out. _ She texted Olivia quickly as an idea popped into her head.

**crotchney--** hey do you wanht to mee t me at the gym to workmon our silsk for tonight

**suisuisui--** Woah there girl! Yeah I was thinking taht too. I’ll see you teere.

Courtney always thought it was weird how only some of Olivia’s texts were correct. But, it didn’t matter. She grabbed her gym stuff and threw her AirPods and phone into the bag. After all, it’s easier to work on your routine when you have the song to practice with. She grabbed a jacket too on her way out so she wouldn’t look crazy in a taxi or metro with just a sports bra on top. She decided on the metro and stood listening to the song, going through the movements in her head. When she got off, Olivia was just entering the gym and held the door open for Courtney. They went to this weird gym that had stuff for gymnastics and there were aerial silks. The circus employees frequented this place as it had basically everything they needed: silks, rings, mats, workout equipment, regular and stationary bicycles, they even had unicycles and a tightrope for Boze, Flitz, and Keith. Most of the stuff they used was found in the gymnastics room, and since hardly anyone knew about it, it was practically their territory. Courtney pulls out her AirPods and hands one to Olivia. She pops it in as they take off their shoes and jackets. They warm-up and stretch before Courtney plays Applause by Lady Gaga, the song they’ll be doing the silk routine too. Circus Smash is also the only circus around that uses pop music and music that wasn’t created specifically for the circus. They do the movements effortlessly, but the duo keeps practicing and making small adjustments to make it more entertaining. They work on other routines as well before their cooldown and the two parted to go to their separate apartments.

“See ya tonight, Sunshine!” Liv grinned as she squeezed Court Bourt’s hand. She smiled back and replied, letting go,

“Tonight, Moonlight!” Then she rushed over to the metro and barely made it on.


	4. Chapter 4

After taking a shower, dressing in her sweats, and putting on her base makeup, Courtney opened the group chat. The first text didn’t surprise, her, she kind of figured.

**Topp hat--** no pregame tonight, we’re getting a pizza delivered straight to the back

**crotchney--** sounds good. I’m bringing brownies too

**damimimimien--** mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

**Topp hat--** ?

**crotchney--** yeah…

**damimimimien--** i like brownies

**Mari tacohashi--** good, cause thats what you’re getting

**LASERCORN--** ARE THEY BURNT

**crotchney--** ew wtf

**LASERCORN--** FIRE

**Topp hat--** yeah okay…

**Papa ian--** EVERYONE STAY AWAY FROM LASERN

**Gross man--** *lasercorn*

**Papa ian--** HES INSANE

**sohin--** yeah I think we knew…

**leaky--** been a while now

**flitz pantz--** i ship it

**Papa ian--** f*ck off flitz

**LASERCORN--** OOF

**suisuisui--** Are you on caps lock or spmething?

**LASERCORN--** NO I JUST USE CAPS TO EMPHASIZE MY POINT

**LASERCORN--** TO SHOW EMOTION

**anthony tortilla--** his permanent emotion is juts anger

**Jovenshire--** he is hulk

**boze bozington--** (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ

**crotchney--** ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

**suisuisui--** okay…

**Jovenshire--** ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ

**boze bozington--** (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ

**LASERCORN--** (▀̿Ĺ̯▀̿ ̿)

**crotchney--** ಠ_ಠ

**boze bozington--** ಠ_ಠ

**Jovenshire--** ಠ_ಠ

**damimimimien--** moving on… 

**damimimimien--** what kind of pizza

**Sharah weadle--** What?

**Topp hat--** I think hawaiian

**Sharah weadle--** Oh are we getting pizza?!

**Mari tacohashi--** *facepalms*

**sohin--** yes

**Topp hat--** well ya know if MATT EVER F***ING GETS ON THE CHAT then we’ll know

**flitz pantz--** read the f***ing chat sharah weasel

**Sharah weadle--** Hey! I hardly even agreed to weadle, but not weasel!

**boze bozington--** weasel

**boze bozington--** weasel

**boze bozington--** weasel

**Sharah weadle--** HEY!

**LASERCORN--** SEE I’M NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO USES CAPS FOR EMOTION

**anthony tortilla--** thats it i’m turning off notifications

**Papa ian--** yah same

**Mari tacohashi--** yall gotta admit

**Mari tacohashi--** ya ship it

**Topp hat--** no

**damimimimien--** iancorn for the win

**Jovenshire--** shartney

**damimimimien--** *Topp hat has left the chat*

**damimimimien--** *crotchney has left the chat*

**Jovenshire--** No really Damien, everyone left the chat. Now i have too.

**damimimimien--** ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	5. Chapter 5

Courtney showed up at the back door and opened it with her key. Everyone seemed to be partying or something. She recognized the playlist as the songs that would be used that night. She dropped off her bag with Mari, Olivia, and Boze’s stuff before practically sprinting to the pizza. Shayne was right, Matt got Hawaiian. She also grabbed a cup of lemonade

“Not drinkin’ tonight?” Keith asked, a bottle of beer in his hand.

“Not yet. I want to be present for my act and be able to think clearly.”

“Oof!” Noah murmured as he passed. Keith slapped him lightly on the back of the neck before he left his range. “Jesus Christ!”

“Well, clearly you’ve had too much already!” Courtney nagged. She then proceeded to steal his beer and take a gulp before returning it. He glared at her.

“Hey, I’m just helping you get rid of it faster!” He probably didn’t hear her.

“Looks like someone pissed off the unicyclist!” Damien teased. Courtney jumped. She didn’t know he was standing right next to her! He had a piece of pizza without a plate and a bottle of beer, just like Keith. Courtney playfully punched him in the arm. “I’m just saying it like it is!” He exclaimed before retreating to talk with Joven, Boze, Wes, Mari, Flitz, Sohinki, Lasercorn, and Matt. Courtney joined the conversation with Anthony, Ian, Olivia, Shayne, Keith, Noah, and Sarah.

“Hey, Court! Got your routine down?” Anthony asked.

“She better! We worked on it all morning at the gym!” Olivia revealed. False shock was plastered all over Ian’s face.

“Oooh, Courtney, you better know it!”

“Yeah, you’re also the closing act tonight, so make it big!” Sarah chimed in.

“It is. I think it’s really impressive. Especially your solo, Courtney,” Shayne complimented, finally speaking. They both flushed a deep shade of pink and looked down slightly.

“Hey! Did I do well?” Olivia demanded.

“Sure,” Shayne shrugged, grateful for the subject change but not enjoying where it got him. Olivia pouted.

“I’m gonna go get more pizza,” she grumbled before leaving.

“So, a solo?” Noah wondered.

“Yeah, Olivia was like, ‘I always get solos in our routines, so it’s only fair’ and ‘you’re better than me, so you should have a solo in this song, it suits you’. She insisted.”

“She’s probably just acting, she’s really modest,” Keith injected.

“Well duh, Keith. We know she’s acting,” Courtney responded, rolling her eyes.

“HEY!” Sarah yelled, getting the attention of both groups. The back rooms quieted to dead silence. “Costumes, the come out here and I’ll do everyone’s makeup. Actually, Wes, you can do your own.” He nodded and we all walked off to our rooms.

“I can’t f***ing believe I was blushing every time Joven said something!” Boze groaned as she pulled her legs through her rainbow optical illusion leotard. Courtney opened her eyes a bit wider and darted them towards the 2 other girls dressing. “They know. We’re the only 4 girls, we can keep secrets from the boys. Oh, and Sarah knows too.” Court pulled out her phone and checked the girls’ group chat, Sure enough, Boze had revealed her crush. She shrugged and put her phone away and continued to dress. Then Sarah straightened her and Liv’s hair and gave them Ariana Grande style ponytails. Then they got coral pink eyeshadow to compliment the coral on their “red” costumes. Tonight the theme was rainbow, so some people had rainbow stuff and the rest got a specific color. Instead of red though, the aerial acrobats got coral. Court Bourt didn’t complain though, it was a pretty color. Besides, the beautiful coral lace covering the leotard made it so much better. Shayne came out shirtless and pink-faced. His turquoise leggings and bowtie really brought out his eyes, which were the same color. 

“You look hot,” Courtney joshed. Shayne chuckled nervously. Sarah stood back and looked at him for a moment before smiling reassuringly. 

“Looks great! Everyone’s going to LOVE it! It really-”

“Brings out your eyes,” Courtney mused, finishing Sarah’s thought. She and Shayne looked at her funny. She got up quickly so Shayne could get his makeup done and went to talk to Damien, who was wearing a flexible lime green button-down shirt and white slacks. His makeup was already done, Sarah must have appointed Wes to help again tonight. “You and Mari look absolutely stunning!” She complimented. Damien smiled genuinely, then leaned in to whisper.

“Did you see Shayne?” He blushed slightly.

“So cute!” They exclaimed together. Then they stared at each other for a second before bursting into a fit of giggles.

“Woah there, kiddos,” Boze cut through the 2, hands up as if she were being arrested. Her coral fedora looked great with her rainbow leo, and Mari whistled as she walked up to chat. She was dressed like Damien, but her shirt was a bit more feminine.

“She looks g-o-o-d stunning!” Mari bantered as she leaned against the “kitchen” island. Damien brayed. “Hey, those were great brownies Court Bourt! Let me guess, you made them from a box of Betty Crocker?” Courtney sighed in defeat. Damien’s eyes widened with interest and he started shoveling them into his mouth.

“You caught me.”

“Betty Crocker is my new favorite person!” Damien babbled, the chocolate delicacy filling his mouth.

“You are such a child, Damien!”

“Go brush your teeth after you’re done, you and Mari are opening tonight!” Joven reminded him, looking down at his clipboard. He then walked out of the back rooms and up to take his place on the light and sound boards. Boze let out a breath she had been holding and took her yogurt to the girls’ area to eat. Damien and Mari left to finish preparing and Olivia came to keep Courtney company.

“So we know who Boze likes. You in love with anyone? Someone here? Someone I’d know?”


	6. Chapter 6

The show went great, and Courtney managed to get away with not telling Olivia who her secret crush was. The visitors enjoyed the rainbow/pride theme, especially when Cherry Pole came out and did her whole drag bit about it. Wes’ costume involved a curled wig dyed by Sarah herself in the exact colors of our rainbow, coral combat boots, tangerine tights, a short sunny yellow hoop skirt, a thick strip of lime green satin tied to make a belt, a beautiful turquoise bodysuit with a plunging neckline, and the shiniest sparkly violet top hat ever seen in drag. The makeup was all colors, mixed around in cool places such as coral for the blush, orange for contour, golden yellow highlights, green matte lipstick, turquoise eyeshadow, and beautiful purple liner that extended to make swirls on Wes’ temples. Fans trampled the Smash gang after with thank yous and requests for things like pictures and autographs, so basically the usual but with added pride. After Joven got everyone out and the place was all cleaned up, everyone went straight to Sarah’s with the exception of Boze, who went to get drinks (and probably got ID-ed too). Once everyone had done a few shots and some had finished cans or bottles, the topic changed.

“So pride night y’all, sexuality b****es?” Noah inquired drunkenly.

“Where’s mah homos?” Sarah called, stumbling into her living room.

“Straight pride, yah-” Joven started. No one heard what else he said, it was too loud.

“I’m married!” Lasercorn screamed.

“Good to know he just f***ing realized that!” Mari groaned, leaning over the armrest of another couch. 

“Bi bi bi bi bi!” Damien sang, leaning on tiny Boze for support.

“Yeah same here y’all,” Shayne agreed. 

“Seriously? No one here’s pan? That’s offensive to the non-binary and trans bois!” Wes protested. 

“Hey! I’m pan!” Courtney yelped.

“Thank God,” Boze sighed, pushing Damien off of her and onto Matt. She then walked over and sat in Courtney’s lap, legs on Shayne’s. He grumbled undecipherable words and tried to push them off, but Boze softly kicked him in the cheek, grinning. He returned the smile and the kick with a not-so-light slap on the calf. Boze almost lunged at him but Courtney held her back. 

“Woah there, crazy b*tch!”

“I really don’t know what the f*ck I am, I’m just really confused,” Ian thought aloud.

“He’s f***ing gay!” Sohinki concluded.

“Yeah, sure,” he accepted. He then turned and kissed Anthony, who was shocked. “That’s called a quick hookup. No strings attached, man.” Everyone thought that was hilarious. Once the apartment quieted down to awkward silence, the sound of snoring surfaced. Boze had passed out asleep, so Courtney shrugged and downed her full shot glass. Some of the group gave her judgmental expressions, but drunk Courtney didn’t care.

“She’s not awake to finish it!” She justified. Shayne turned to her and whispered in her ear, the smell of whiskey on his breath.

“You’re very pretty.” Courtney blushed profusely. He laid his head on her shoulder with his eyes closed and started humming his song from that night, Lalala by bbno$ and y2k.  _ It’s a good song, I’m glad I suggested it. He seems to really like it. _

“Bike riding,” Damien randomly stated.

“Um, no, you’re so drunk dude,” Keith accused.

“No drunk driving!” Flitz shouted. Everyone laughed but covered their ears.

“Jesus Christ, man, you’re loud enough already!” Anthony wailed.

“Y’all drunk-a**es already hungover!” Joven mumbled from his seat on the ground, propped against the footrest in front of the founding fathers’ shared chair. He chugged half of his whiskey bottle and grimaced.

“Oh my God, why are we watching SpongeBob?” Olivia whined. No one had even noticed until then. They were all just having a good time, no one really cared what was happening in the background.

“SpongeBob is on crack!” Matt hollered as he shut it off.

“Aw, that’s a good one!” Courtney complained. “The one where SpongeBob’s self-portrait turns against him!”

“You’re too specific for my brain right now, Court,” Damien slurred as he picked up sleeping Boze and put her in Joven’s arms. She squirmed a bit and cuddled into his chest like a child. He looked up like a teenager babysitting for the first time: confused and shocked. Then Damien squeezed in between Courtney and Olivia, who got up to grab a whole bottle of champagne and sit elsewhere. She grinned at Courtney, who’s expression pretty much said “I know”. She was sitting in between 2 cute bys, and the blonde one had his head on her shoulder. Damien handed Courtney his glass of champagne. “You’re getting sober, and we can’t have that at midnight! The party’s just getting started!” She gratefully drank the whole thing. “C’mon,” he moaned.

“The party isn’t starting, 2 people are already asleep and we’re all just sitting and talking, you dumb**s.” Sure enough, Shayne was almost asleep. Damien got up and brought back a can of margarita for Courtney and had filled his champagne glass for himself. Courtney drank it all as everyone sat and listened to whatever music Ian and Anthony were blasting, talked, and played silly games. Then she laid her own dizzy head on Damien and fell asleep shortly after.


	7. Chapter 7

When Courtney woke up, she was face-down in an unfamiliar room, but definitely a familiar atmosphere. She was still fully clothed, she could tell by the well-known feel of a leotard. She didn’t smell the usual waffles and bacon, instead, the mysterious room smelled of stale chips with a hint of cologne.  _ Damien? _ She propped herself up on her forearms and looked over. Damien was fully dressed and also face-first in the bed. The stale food smell was coming from an open bag of Lay’s barbecue chips on his dresser, next to his PS4. His pretty green outfit really stood out in the nude-colored room that was probably furnished with thrift store stuff.  _ We were all so young and broke when we moved into these. _ She sat up and stretched, her back popping satisfyingly. Her hair was slightly tangled and her makeup was likely smudged. Her tired, hungover body sagged with relief when she spotted her circus duffel in the corner of Damien’s bedroom. She pulled out makeup wipes and went to the bathroom to remove it and change into her sweats. She also texted Boze, letting her know where she was and that she’d be leaving for home soon.

**crotchney--** hey I must have crashed at damiens place last nigth or something but im coming over asap

**boze bozington--** kay i was wondering wy you didnt come out at the usual time

**Boze bozington--** see its god d*mn scary whn ur missing

**crotchney--** im sooooooo sorry boze i was so f***ing drunk last jigh, its a miracle im not blinded by the sunlight right now

**crotchney--** im really trying okay

**crotchney--** im leaving now

**boze bozington--** k

She quietly crept out of Damien’s room and out the door to hail a taxi. She got home to find Boze just leaving, going to her shift at McDonald’s.

“You have like, 10 minutes before you have to leave for work,” she reminded Court.

“Okay, thanks, Boze.” They hugged briefly before Boze sprinted to the metro station nearby. Then Courtney hastily showered and dressed, not caring enough for makeup and thankful for the opportunity to let her skin breathe. She made it out the door on time and had a pretty good day for work, especially when Keyanna came up to her with good news.

“Sooooo, I kind of fired Joan. She was all like, ‘what did I do?’ and I was like ‘nothing, that’s why you’re fired!’.”

“Serves her right, she was such a pain in the a*s for everyone here,” Courtney groaned.

“So, I was thinking, would you like a promotion to cashier?” Courtney was so alleviated.

“Oh my God, yes!” She exclaimed. Keyanna smiled. 

“Good, because we hired a new guy to replace Joan, and he actually cares. His name is Xander, and he’s such a nice kid. He’ll be taking your place as a wanderer.” Courtney couldn’t help but simper at the ridiculous nickname. “Hey, Xander, come meet our top employee!” Keyanna called to the unseen new guy. Courtney blushed with the indirect compliment. A cute Indian teenager with glasses walked over and smiled.

“Hi, I’m Xander, nice to meet you!” He extended his hand and Courtney shook it.  _ Strong grip. _

“Courtney. It’s good to know we don’t just have moody emo teens as employees. Us three are like, the only good people here!”

“You’ve never even seen me before.”

“I can tell good kids from the bad. You’re like my friend Noah, he looks nerdy, but he’s really a nice and cool person.”

“Well, it’s good that you 2 are like, instant friends, but Courtney, I need you to get to cashier duty ASAP. Got it?” Court Bourt nodded and flashed Xander a smile before walking away to check out items. He went back to organizing the Funk Pop!s and the day carried on like normal. But Court couldn’t help but notice the way Keyanna would look at Xander for long periods of time and blush when he caught her. At the end of the day, after Xander said goodbye to both of the girls, Courtney nudged Keyanna’s arm.

“You like him, don’t you?” Keyanna blushed.

“He’s 18, and I’m 20, so it could totally work! And I can legally-”

“Bye Keyanna, Courtney!” Another friendly coworker, Wendell, waved as he pushed open the door. 

“I’m gonna head out too.”

“Bye, Court!”

“You too!”


	8. Chapter 8

**crotchney--** ok dames

**crotchney--** why was i in your bed this orning

**damimimimien--** chill court bourt

**damimimimien--** your clothes were still on and so were mine

**crotchney--** still

**crotchney--** why

**damimimimien--** well

**damimimimien--** yknow we had the big party and everyone was drunk, so you were asleep and neither of us could drive so I got us an uber and I guess I just didnt take you home first

Courtney was actually hoping it’d be something like “you were just so precious that I couldn’t possibly leave you with Sarah” or “because I care about you, Courtney”. But this answer was good enough.

**damimimimien--** but do you remember when shayne said youre pretty

**Crotchney--** surprisingly yes

**damimimimien--** he meant it

That made Courtney’s heart ache as well.  _ How can I love 2 boys so much? _ They were both just such perfect men, it’s hard not to fall in love with them. Everyone always crushed on them in school.  _ But they both kicked the crowd for us. For the group. For Smosh. Smash. Whatever. _

**damimimimien--** you there

**crotchney--** i guess

**damimimimien--** (づ￣ ³￣)づ

**crotchney--** (づ￣ ³￣)づ

And with that, Courtney finished her base makeup. She hopped onto the group chat to see what the plan for that night was.

**crotchney--** whats tonights plan b****es

**Mari tacohashi--** n̩o̤ͩ͟t̛̩ͦ ͐͗o̶̤͐n͘ ̪̕m͎͗ͅy̨̮̞ ̖̽̀ċ̂hͫr̽̃͡is̭͜t̓̽̀iḁ͠͡n̷̨̂ ͑̈́m̤͜i̓nͦͦeͬ̎c̄ͣraͩf̊t̬ ̥s҉̈́ęr̴ͫͅvě̶̈́r

**LASERCORN--** random mod idea

**LASERCORN--** MARICRAFT!

**leaky--** here comes hulk again

**LASERCORN--** no that time actually was caps lock

**suisuisui--** wow

**suisuisui--** just 

**Gross man--** wow

**suisuisui--** hey! You finished it for me! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ

**Gross man--** ヽ(◕ヮ◕ヽ)

**Papa ian--** we all gonna meet up at me and anthonys place before smosh tongight

**Topp hat--** ian! that’s bad grammar!

**anthony tortilla--** he doesn’t give a sh*t

**boze bozington--** we know

**Mari tacohashi--** n͍̋oṱ ͉ͦo̻̎͝n̼͜͡ ̖̆͐my c̦̽h̑̒̉r͗i͔͒̐s̸͊̆tiȃ͟n͉̈́ ̬ͥm̈́ar̹̞͆i̭ͬͭcr̶͍̈ąf͎ͭ̓t̞̚ ̪ͧͨse̡ͧ̂r͇ve̗ȑ

**LASERCORN--** MARICRAFT

**wesisaprettygirl--** ooh we should play that someday

**wesisaprettygirl--** like as a group

**LASERCORN--** hey guys wes showed up

**Mari tacohashi--** hey wes

**crotchney-- ** thanks ian

**Papa ian-- ** no probkemmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

**flitz pantz--** woah there

**Papa ian--** whoops finger slipped

**damimimimien--** courtney! you left me for the group chat?

**Topp hat--** WERE YOU HAVING PRIVATE CONVERSATION WITH MY BEST FRIEND, COURT?

**damimimimien--** no

**Topp hat--** ok goode

**crotchney--** yess *this message has been deleted*

**Topp hat--** noice try courtney i saw it

**damimimimien--** courtney! I trued cpvering up for you!

**damimimimien--** courtney?

**Topp hat--** damien she lft

**damimimimien--** your fault

**Topp hat--** maybe


	9. Chapter 9

Courtney grabbed a small burrito from Chipotle since she never thought to ask about dinner that night. She ate in on the metro on the way to Ian and Anthony’s apartment. She walked up and was met by a Dominoes pizza guy. 

“You going here too?” She asks, being the friendly person she is.

“Yeah,” he looks down at the receipt, “4 cheese pizzas for an Iancorn?” Courtney held back a giggle.  _ I wonder who ordered the pizza… _

“Yeah, that sounds right.” She knocked on the door and Anthony opened.

“4 cheeses for Iancorn?” Anthony didn’t stop himself from chortling.

“Yes, thank you.” He paid and let Courtney in.

“Sorry, I didn’t know what the plan for dinner would be so I got Chipotle.”

“It’s fine, we’ve got plenty of pizza if you’re still hungry,” he offered.

“Thanks.”

“Hey, Courtney!” Damien exclaimed as he walked over to her. She raised a brow at the beer can in his hand as he hugged her with the other.

“What? I’ve gotta have energy and excitement for my bit tonight!” It seemed as though he had forgotten about the text thing until Shayne walked over.

“So what happened in the group chat earlier?” Damien seemed to be uncomfortable as well.

“Well, you made a big deal out of me texting Damien…” Both boys blushed.

“I tried to cover up…” Damien uttered.

“What was there to cover up?” Shayne asked suspiciously. He reached into Courtney’s pocket to grab her phone. Damien looked for an excuse to leave.

“Hey, I’m gonna grab a slice of pizza, you 2 have fun!” Shayne scrolled through their texts.

“He sent you a kiss face?” He looked up quizzically. Courtney shifted uncomfortably.  _ How can I love them both? _ “And you sent one back?” his blush from earlier was fading quickly. Courtney grabbed her phone from Shayne and quickly texted him. He shook his head and walked away.  _ What happened? _

**crotchney--** (づ￣ ³￣)づ

**Topp hat--** ಠ╭╮ಠ

**crotchney--** (;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`)

**Topp hat--** ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ

**crotchney--** (づ￣ ³￣)づ

**Topp hat--** (づ￣ ³￣)づ

He smiled from across the room and Courtney’s heart fluttered. Damien walked back with his mouth full of the delicious meal.

“What happened?” 

“I dunno, he seemed kind of bummed that we were texting or something, so he walked away.” Damien’s face fell, for some reason. “But, I texted him!” Courtney smiled and held up her phone to show the texts. His smile, however, seemed forced. She hugged him with one arm. “I hope I made you both happy.”

“I think you did,” he squeaked.

“Hey! Who ordered the pizza?!” Ian yelled over everyone. Everyone stopped and stared because everyone but Courtney thought he had.

“You, right?” Flitz prompted, looking around for supporters. Murmurs and nods surfaced in the otherwise silent room.

“No, I don’t place orders under ‘Iancorn’.” Everyone laughed. “Laser?!”

“Dude, I’m married, and I sure as h*ll don’t ship it,” he protested, but his increasingly pink cheeks said otherwise.

“Chill Ian, it was me. No real harm done,” Anthony revealed. Ian stormed off, presumably to get a slice of pizza, while the rest of the group continued to hang out, eat, and drink.

“Well, that was weird-” Damien muttered, but he got cut off when Shayne walked up.

“Guess what, Courtney?” He grinned slyly.  _ Oh no. _

“Shayne, no!” She groaned. He smiled even wider and Damien grinned a bit too.

“You’re my favorite pizza place!” Courtney screamed exasperatedly and put her head in her hands. The boys laughed and high-fived each other. Court looked up.

“You guys are asinine!”

“That’s a big word!” Damien pointed out.

“It was in Shrek the Musical, dude. I’m sure you know what it means.” Courtney professed. Shayne cachinnated.

“Hey guys, get your fire costumes, you know what tonight is!” Everyone cheered because that night was fire night! Fire tricks and fire-themed costumes. They all spilled out of Anthony and Ian’s place to get their stuff and head over to Circus Smash. 


	10. Chapter 10

There was roughly 10 minutes before Courtney’s solo trapeze act and she was going over the movements in her head, leaning on the “kitchen” island with her arms crossed on her chest. Olivia came over to chat a bit and destress her friend.

“Hey, girl.”

“Hey, Liv Liv.”

“You’re gonna do great, this isn’t the first time you’ve done a solo.” Court sighed.

“I know. Something just feels off.”  _ Like maybe my feelings. Definitely off. _

“Well, this also isn’t the first time you’ve ended an act by flying through a small hoop that’s on fire.” Courtney tittered.

“Oh, don’t remind me.”

“Well, I hope you remember the ending of your act!”

“You’re right. I did remember, anyway!”

“So what’s eating at you? What feels off?”  _ Great, she caught me. What do I do? What do I say? _

“I guess…” Courtney trailed off, staring into the distance.

“Let me guess, you have a crush on a coworker.”  _ Not exactly… 2 coworkers, actually. So if I say no, it’s not exactly a lie…  _

“Not exactly-”

“Courtney, you’re on!” Sarah called.

“Break a leg, Court Bourt!” Olivia called. The blonde walked right into Shayne, who decided to make her laugh before she went into full focus mode.

“But don’t burn one!” Then Damien pulled her into a tight hug. She caught Boze, who had just finished her tightrope act, on her way out.

“Kill ‘em, roommate!” And so she did. Not literally, but Courtney’s act was by far the most applauded and impressive act from the whole night. No one thought she’d make it through the tiny hoop, but as a circus performer, Courtney had all the skills. Afterward, Court thought about inviting everyone over. 

“Hey, Boze, do you mind if everyone comes over for a party? To celebrate the fact that we all made it through fire night unscathed?” Boze seemed super happy. Almost too happy for typical Boze.

“Yeah. I won’t be there though. Joven asked me out!” She squealed.

“Oh my God! I’m so happy for you! Can I tell everyone? If they ask about you guys?”

“Of course. I’m just praying it works out and he loves me for the rest of our lives.”  _ Woah, that’s deep for Boze. _

“Well Miss Ericka, poetic much?” She giggled.

“Maybe. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

“Morning,” Court repeats as Boze walks away to chat with Joven on their way out.  _ They’re so cute together. Y’know what, I hope their relationship lasts as well. Not so she’ll move out, but rather… she’ll be happier. _ ”Hey guys, party at my place!” “Sunshine” screams to the group before anyone leaves.

“Courtney’s place!” Everyone repeats. It’s just a habit, mostly so no one misses it or goes to the wrong place. She gets her stuff and leaves quickly so no one beats her to her own home. However, someone did.

“Good evening, Miller,” Shayne crooned as he joined her on the sidewalk leading to her front door.

“Hey, Shayne. How’d you beat me here?”

“I had my stuff ready and left as soon as I heard there was a party. I’m surprised Boze isn’t already here as well.”

“She and Joven have a date,” Courtney alleged as she wiggled her brows. Shayne chuckled. “You’re just full of laughter tonight aren’t you?” Courtney threw her duffel into her closet and she and Shayne left the bedroom.

“I guess. You’re just really funny, Court. You never fail to make me laugh.” Once she finished locking the door, she looked up at him. His turquoise eyes twinkled and they shifted toward her lips. But then the doorbell rang and the 2 snapped out of it as Courtney welcomed in Damien.  _ Am I just imagining things or does Shayne look as if he’s trying to hide disappointment? I’m kind of bummed that we didn’t kiss, but it happened when he saw Damien. _ The brunette sat on the couch and the 3 just kind of sat awkwardly in silence. Shortly afterward, everyone else started filing in. They all got drunk and had a massive dance party and stuff, but the thought of Shayne kissing her never left the bak of her mind. Eventually, they got to a slow song in Courtney’s “favorite song playlist”. It was “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran. Damien drunkenly stumbled over to her on her couch and held out his hand.

“Dance with me?” Someone turned out the lights until the only way to see was by the portable strobe lights Keith had brought and the light-up function from Mari’s Bluetooth speaker. They clumsily danced arm in arm and Courtney felt like she was in Heaven. However, she didn’t see that Shayne was in the corner, watching them with sadness and a hint of frustration. Near the end of the song, Damien twirled her into Olivia, who was dancing with Anthony.

“Woah, hey sister!” Liv jabbered. She lightly shoved Anthony out of the way and finished the song with Court.

“So, you and Anthony or just a heat of the moment thing?”

“What? Oh, that… yeah, we both needed a partner and Ian was already dancing with Lasercorn, so he was like, ‘may I have this dance?’ and I was like, ‘h*ll yeah!’” Court Bourt giggled. “What about you and Dames?”

“Pretty much the same thing, he asked me and I just rolled with it.” The song ended and the girls collapsed on the couch and blacked out.


	11. Chapter 11

“Mornin’ princess!” Courtney’s eyes flew open and directly over her was Boze, energetic as ever. She was on the couch and around her were various friends who hadn’t woken up and headed out yet. She stretched and remembered everything.

“How was the date?” Boze beamed brighter than the sun. She finally sat back and let Courtney sit up.

“Oh my God, it was uh-maze-ing! He took me to that one ice cream place I love, and then we just walked around and we talked about how much we love each other and just about stuff we don’t know about each other. F***ing incredible!” Court looked over at the counter. There were shot glasses full of water and a few plates of waffles. “What? They gotta have something to eat before they head out! Water’s good for hangovers, wakes ya up!” The girls smiled and Courtney got her share of breakfast. “How was your night, sleeping beauty?” Courtney snorted.

“Why are you being so flirty? And why are you calling me sleeping beauty?” Boze shrugged.

“Well a, I’m not. This is what best friends do. They’re interested in their girl’s night. And b, you sleep a lot. How was your night?”

“Jesus! Well, Shayne beat me here. He said he was already about to leave when I called party at my place. We almost kissed.”

“Holy sh*t, you almost kissed?! That’s f***ing great!” Courtney blushed deeply.

“Yeah well, then the doorbell rang and Damien came in. We sat there for like, a decade before the rest of the gang trickled in. It was so awkward.”

“I bet!” Boze nodded, one eyebrow raised.

“Yeah. I also danced with Damien to Perfect, Ed Sheeran.” Boze got super excited and started squealing. “He asked me, and we slow danced until he twirled me into Olivia and the 2 of us finished the song.”

“Who do you love?”

“What?” The question had caught Courtney off guard.

“It’s so obvious girl, who do you have a crush on?” The blonde blushed and searched for the right words.  _ Tell her? No? What will she think? Eh, everybody I know is somewhat queer, right? _

“I uh, have a crush on 2, actually. I think they both like me back, but… something’s tense when the 3 of us hang out. Like they know about each other’s feelings and are fighting over me. It’s awful, I wish they knew I loved them both back. I just don’t know who to pick.” Boze gave her a knowing look.

“Well, it depends on who you like more. But you don’t have to choose. Just pick either Shayne or Damien, then later, ask the other to join your relationship. Polyamory.” Court’s jaw dropped and she gasped.  _ How did she know it was Shayne and Damien?! _ “C’mon b*tch, it’s obvious.” The girls heard a groan and turned around to see Damien pry himself from in between Sohinki and Flitz. “Good morning, prince charming.” Courtney punched Boze’s shoulder. She grimaced and then changed it to a smirk.

“Don’t you dare!” Courtney whispered menacingly.

“I won’t,” Boze uttered back.

“What’s with the weird nickname?”

“She’s crazy,” Courtney joked.

“Okay… oh, waffles!”

“Take a shot of water first. Then the all you can eat waffles,” Boze ordered. Courtney turned her attention back to Boze, shocked.

“All you can eat?” Boze nodded. “We’re gonna run out of mix!” she shrugged.

“Oh well!” Damien ate around 4 waffles before the few others started to wake up, Shayne included. 

“Waffles?!” Sohinki and Noah exclaimed at the exact same time.

“Shot first. Don’t worry, it’s water,” Boze repeated.

“Thanks, but, I think I’ll just head out,” Shayne emitted. Courtney gave him a hug before he left, and he blushed.

“Bye Shayne,” she whispered in his ear. He squeezed her hand.

“Bye.” When he left and Court turned around, Boze winked at her and she winked back.  _ Getting closer. _

“Is there some sort of thing the rest of us don’t know about?” Sohinki asked. Courtney shook her head and smiled.

“No.” In the end, they did run out of waffles, so Boze used the rest of the mix to make more. But, everyone at their fill and there was no leftovers, so Courtney just started another shopping list with pancake mix right at the top. 

“What’s with you and waffles?” Flitz asked.

“I dunno, I just make them every day.”

“Don’t you ever get tired of them?” Damien wondered.

“Not really.”

“She switches up the brand of mix she uses for variety. They taste different,” Courtney added. 

“Barely,” Noah mumbled.

“I uh, I’m gonna head out now. Bye, Courtney,” Damien waved before walking out the door.

“Um, bye?”

“He can’t hear you, he left already,” Noah reminded her.

“Yeah, that was weird,” Boze mused. 

“Whatever. Boys, hurry up. Boze and I have to clean up this mess when you leave,” Courtney complained. So they finished and even helped the roommates clean up before leaving to their own stuff. 

“So. Who did you pick?”


	12. Chapter 12

**damimimimien--** hey courtney

**damimimimien--** can you talk

Courtney was just shopping for new makeup and stuff when she got the texts. She paid for the Jeffree Star Alien palette she was looking at and walked across the street to “the ice cream place”. It was a big deal between her and Boze, but they didn’t know what it was called, nor did they care. It was simply “the ice cream place” to them. She ordered a chocolate-dipped ice cream cone and responded to Damien’s text.

**crotchney--** yeah what is it dames

It was a while before he responded. By then Courtney had gotten her cone and was biting chunks of chocolate off the cool vanilla soft serve.

**damimimimien--** um

**damimimimien--** i just

**crotchney--** go on

**crotchney--** im listening

**crotchney--** or reading

**damimimimien-- ** ◕‿◕

**crotchney--** anytime bud

**damimimimien--** thanks

**damimimimien--** i dont know if i can do this

**crotchney--** do what

**crotchney--** damien

**crotchney--** are yo there

**crotchney--** are you ok

Courtney finished her cone and he still hadn’t responded, so she just put her phone away and continued shopping. She got more makeup stuff like brushes and wipes before she took the metro home to show Boze the texts.

“Take a look at this,” Courtney ranted as she held up her phone for Boze, who was cooking grilled cheeses for their early dinner. Her forehead creased as she read it, but when she finished she went back to cooking with a laugh.

“Jesus Christ!”

“Do you know what was happening? ‘Cause I’m genuinely confused!” Courtney exclaimed. Boze laughed again.

“You are so oblivious, Courtney Miller. He likes you back!” Court almost fainted. “That’s obviously what he was trying to tell you, dumb*ss.”

“You’re kidding.”

“I’m not.”

“Do you talk to my friends about their feelings too?”

“Only if they come to me. Damien said he can’t open up to Shayne because he thinks he likes you too. He thinks Shayne’ll stop being his friend if he takes his girl.”

“Did you tell him I love him back?”

“H*ll to the no. That’s your job, girl.” Courtney felt so relieved. “But,” Boze started, and Courtney tensed up again, “Shayne came to me too.” Courtney screamed with exasperation. “He figured I’d know who you’re into since we live together. He was right.” Boze smirked and Courtney’s skin paled several shades. “I told him if he likes you that he should just make a move. But no, he was all like, ‘Boze, you know I’m terrible at that kind of stuff! Besides, Damien’s gonna get her, I know she’s gonna pick him.’ and I had to tell him to stop being such a-”

“I don’t want to know,” Courtney stopped her. She wasn’t as pale, but she was worried that Shayne had given up. 

“I don’t know, check him out on social media or something. Text him. See what he’s up too.” Court reluctantly opened his Instagram profile to see a new post. It read, “new girlfriend- so beautiful <3”. He and Olivia were at “the ice cream place”. She dropped her phone and Boze whipped around. Courtney couldn’t control the tears that were falling down her pale cheeks. She ran into her bedroom and locked the door as Boze screamed in reaction to the post.  _ I hate today. Today is awful. _


	13. Chapter 13

After having a pity party and flooding the bedroom with tears, Courtney called Olivia. Her voice was good for the most part, so Olivia didn’t question it. 

“Hey Court, what’s up?” Courtney tried her best to sound excited and happy for her friend, but hiding jealousy isn’t always easy.

“Um, so, you and Shayne, huh?”

“Uh, yeah, we just, um, he asked me out and I said yes. How can I,” Olivia paused, “refuse Shayne?” She sounded really unsure.

“Yeah, I guess no one can,”  _ not even me, _ she added in her mind.

“Are you okay, Sunshine? It seems your light has dimmed,” Olivia attempted to make the blonde laugh, but it failed.

“Yeah. It’s nothing, though, I’m good. Don’t worry about me. Go have fun with Shayne,” she blubbered before tears silently fell once again.

“Courtney, I- fine. Have a nice day.” Olivia sounded defeated like she couldn’t stand ending the call. Courtney hung up as soon as Olivia was done speaking.

**crotchney--** i need you

**damimimimien--** im already at the bus stop

**damimimimien--** ill be there asap

**crotchney--** thank you damien

**damimimimien--** no prob;em

Courtney walked out of the bedroom puffy and red-eyed. Boze pulled her into a tight hug and they just stood there, hugging and swaying for a few minutes until the smaller of the 2 pulled back. Her sad smile was almost motherly.

“I’m so sorry.”

“There’s no need. It’s not like you could have done anything,” Court Bourt lamented. “I invited Damien over.”

“Really?” She handed Boze the phone and she read them. “I need you? That’s perfect! Of course, he can’t refuse someone who needs him!” Court smiled weakly. “But are you going to tell him why you’re upset?”

“No. I can’t, he’ll hate me if he finds out I love Shayne. I can’t lose another.”

“I understand. Good thing I always make an extra grilled cheese!” The doorbell rang and Courtney looked to Boze for help. She shrugged and held up her arms in defeat. “I’m gonna be in my room!” And with that, “Mouse” grabbed her grilled cheese and darted into the other bedroom, leaving Courtney and the once again ringing doorbell. She opened the door to see a very concerned Damien. Upon noticing the fact that she must have been crying, he grabbed her shoulders.

“Are you okay?” Courtney sighed.

“I guess. Yeah, I’m fine, come in. Boze made an extra grilled cheese.” Damien slowly entered and Courtney shut the door after him. They ate their dinner in silence and then Damien laid down on the couch. Courtney laid with him, her head on his chest. He unconsciously started running her fingers through her hair, and she didn’t mind. H*ll, she’d been waiting for this for a while. She teared up and the tears fell freely. 

“It’s okay,” Damien murmured. She sniffed. “Can you tell me what’s wrong?”

“No,” she whispered.

“Okay.” They paused and just breathed for a few minutes until Damien randomly revealed himself. “I love you,” he spoke sweetly.

“I love you too.”

“You do?” Both of their hearts stopped. 

“Of course, dummy!” He sighed and just stared blankly at the ceiling. “I do a lot.” While he was zoning out, Courtney took the chance and leaned up to kiss him. She couldn’t quite reach his lips due to the position she was in, so she pecked his jaw. He blushed. He blushed a lot.

“What was that for?” He lilted. They both blushed this time.

“I think you know.”

“Will you be my-”

“Duh.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you,” he teased.

“I, Courtney Miller, am so deeply in love with you, Damien Haas, that I accept your offer.” The 2 giggled. “Thanks for cheering me up.”

“Anytime.”

“We should probably get ready for work tonight.”

“I was about to tell you 2 lovebirds that!” Boze exclaimed as she set her plate in the dishwasher.

“Holy sh*t Boze, I had no clue you were here!”

“Yeah, I was in my room listening to Queen. That sh*t’s good!” The trio chuckled and Courtney grabbed her stuff before leaving with Damien to his place to get his stuff. Then they carpooled to Circus Smash.


	14. Chapter 14

The cute couple got off the bus and entered the back door arm in arm. They reluctantly split to put away their stuff and chat with some friends. Shayne approached Courtney with a fake smile on his charming face.

“Hey Courtney, did you see my Instagram post?”  _ Woah, he’s very straightforward. _ Courtney also plastered a fake grin on and decided to go over the top.  _ Just to make him see what he’s losing. _

“Yeah, I’m really happy for you. It’s about time too, because I swear to God, Olivia’s been pining for so long!” He looked shocked at that remark. “I was honestly quite sure that you didn’t have the guts to f***ing ask a girl out, y’know? Anyways, I’ve been hoping you guys would get together, it’s really sweet. I wish you 2 a happy life together.” His false happiness faded for a second and Courtney knew she had the effect she was going for. But, he picked up the act again, being the great actor he was. “I didn’t make a huge point about it, but Damien and I started dating this afternoon. He really cheered me up when I had no one else. He just really understands me, y’know?” Shayne’s face was reddening. He turned around to hide it and quivered, 

“Yeah, I know. I gotta go, Courtney. See ya around.” And with that, he was off. Damien appeared behind and laid a hand on her shoulder.

“Everything all right?”

“Yeah.” She brushed her lips against his hand and they blushed. Suddenly there was cheering and catcalling, and the lovers looked up to see that the group had witnessed their small romantic gestures and were congratulating them on their relationship. Well, everyone but Shayne. He had disappeared.

“So, you and Dames?” Olivia uncomfortably addressed.

“Yeah. Maybe sometime you and Shayne could like, go on a double date with us!” Olivia’s not as great of an actor as Shayne is, so her faux euphoria was easy to see through.

“Hey, guys, part at my apartment tonight to celebrate the 2 new couples today!” Matt yelled over the loud talking.

“Matt’s place!” The gang repeated. Olivia’s facade faltered.

“We need to talk there tonight.” Courtney was about to point out that they had plenty of time right then, but Olivia put a finger to the blonde’s lips. “Tonight, not earlier.” Then she walked off to get ready.

“Remember guys and gals, animal costumes tonight! If you don’t have yours, book it! We don’t have all night!” Courtney pulled out her beautiful jaguar print bodysuit and ear headband. Wes gave her a smoky eye look with cat-eye liner, mostly because she was a cat. Her lips were brown to match her spots and some highlight and contour was added. 

“You look bee-ootiful, dah-ling,” Wes sang. “Congrats on your relationship status, dear,” he advocated, his fake, slightly British accent making it hard to take him seriously.

“Thanks. For the makeup too, “ she gratefully asserted.

“No problem, dah-ling. Next?” All night long, Courtney couldn’t help but wonder why her conversation with Olivia had to wait. “Moonlight” kept looking at her guiltily all night long, never speaking, though. Her panther costume and makeup looked stunning, and when she (clearly not by choice) was kissed by Shayne, her arms awkwardly wrapped around his waist. Courtney looked away bashfully and blinked back the few tears that formed. When she looked back up, Shayne was gone, but Olivia looked sadly at her. The “trapeze sisters” performed the finale and then everyone headed to Matt’s place. When they arrived at the address he had provided, Damien and Courtney were confused. 

“Uh, isn’t this Sarah’s house?” Damien wondered out loud.

“That’s what I thought…” Courtney trailed off. When they knocked on the door, Matt answered. “Uh, dude, why’d you give us Sarah’s address?”

“Hm? Oh, we’re roommates.”  
“But you can’t stand each other!” Damien insisted.

“Yeah, well I didn’t know she’d be a pain in the a** when I invited her to live with me! Come in already, Jesus Christ!”


	15. Chapter 15

Once Courtney got in and had some Thai take out, Olivia pulled her over and they hid in Sarah’s bedroom.

“Now can you tell me?” She nodded. “Let me guess… you don’t love Shayne.” She nodded again.  _ I figured. _ “What happened?” She looked around nervously before telling me.

“I’m not supposed to tell you, but since you’re a close friend of mine I trust you. Don’t tell Shayne you know this.” Olivia took a deep breath before continuing. “He told me everything. About the pining and that he thought Damien loved you too. So he asked me to fake date him to make you jealous.”

“Well, it sure as h*ll worked!” Court commented. Olivia gulped.

“I could tell, so I knew it wasn’t right to hide this from you. He really really loves you, but I know you love Damien so I won’t make you do anything.” Courtney sighed.

“That’s my problem. I love them both equally, and Boze told me I could choose one and then invite the other one later to form a polyamorous relationship, and the idea’s really helping me. But I feel like Shayne hates both me and Damien now, so I just feel so lost.” Olivia softly gripped Court Bourt’s arm.

“He doesn’t hate you. He loves you and even Damien a little, he really just wants you to want him back.”

“I do. So what’s the plan? Because I know you hate it when he kisses you, and I hate seeing it, so…?” Olivia grinned.

“Well, we have to wait a little longer, so everyone thinks it was somewhat real. Then I’ll tell Shayne I can’t fake it anymore and that someone’s waiting for him. Then how about you tell Shayne how much you love him, but wait for word of our breakup to spread, okay? So it doesn’t seem planned?” Courtney nodded. “Okay. So if he joins your relationship, great, we’re all happy! If not, and he makes you choose, tell him whatever you want. That’s for you to decide, not me.” Courtney nodded again.

“Okay. Let’s go.” So the girls slipped out of Sarah’s room and were confronted by Shayne.

“Hey, Livie, Courtney. C’mon, bae.” He grabbed Olivia’s arm and she looked at Courtney apologetically.

“You 2 have fun,” she called before they disappeared into the crowd. Damien saw her and pushed through the group.

“There you are, Coco. I missed you,” he claimed. They smooched. “What were you and Olivia talking about?” 

“I’ll tell you later.” They went to get drinks. The night was fun, pretty similar to the one at Courtney’s house the night prior: dancing, drinking, eating, talking, pretty much whatever they felt like. Perfect played again as well. “This situation seems familiar,” Damien grinned as he spun Courtney into the center of the living room where everyone was dancing. They danced again, but this time, they made it through the whole song. Shayne was super drunk at this point, so when Sunflower by Post Malone played, Shayne asked Courtney a question.

“Will you dance with me?” He stammered. Damien was getting more Thai and drinks, so he wouldn’t know. Shayne’s a great dancer when he’s drunk, so it was very entertaining. Shayne had collapsed on the couch by the time Damien got back.

“Did you have fun without me?” He asked, clueless.

“Maybe,” Courtney smirked.


	16. Chapter 16

**suisuisui--** so how was everyone’s night?

**damimimimien--** breathtaking

**crotchney--** awww sweetie

**Topp hat--** well duh

**Topp hat--** mine was pretty great at well Liv

**suisuisui--** ♥‿♥

**Topp hat--** (づ￣ ³￣)づ

**suisuisui--** (づ￣ ³￣)づ

**Mari tacohashi--** n̯̓ǫ̂͡t̬͝ ̱̈o̶͚nͨ̓ m̯̏y͓ ̳a̼̙n͈ti ̝rôm̝ͣ̒a̔n̲ce͑̇ ̮́ͪm̄ar͆͜i͎c̶̛͐r̓a̰̦f̯̐͜tͧ ̬ͧ͂ŝ̯e̍̓͝r͌ve͚̕͟r

**sohin--** yeah sorry to interrupt but this is the group chat

**crotchney--** pls stop

**LASERCORN--** this many people want you to stop ( ͡°( ͡° ͜ʖ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)ʖ ͡°) ͡°)

**Topp hat--** geez ok we ll stopp

**Topp hat--** courtney

**Topp hat--** were you jealous

**damimimimien--** no

**Topp hat--** thanks for you input  courtney damien haas

**crotchney--** i bestow upon the best boyfriend ever the power to answer questions for me

**flitz pantz--** oof

**damimimimien--** awww thanks bae

**anthony tortilla--** i think shayne just left

**Gross man--** yeah he did

**leaky--** mans coping with some deep stuff there

**boze bozington--** no doubt (☞ﾟ∀ﾟ)☞

**crotchney--** (☞ﾟ∀ﾟ)☞

**suisuisui--** (☞ﾟ∀ﾟ)☞

**Jovenshire--** ಠ_ಥ

**boze bozington--** nothing

**boze bozington--** ill tell you later

**Papa ian--** ok what cult did you gals join

**wesisaprettygirl--** woah dude

**boze bozington--** fun fact → a cult is a group of followers of certain religious beliefs

**boze bozington--** so not necessarily a bad thing

**wesisaprettygirl--** can i start a candy cult

**LASERCORN-- ** YES

**LASERCORN--** sh*t

**LASERCORN--** caps lock

**Mari tacohashi--** n͞o̧̳t̋ͥͬ ̸͖̑ǫ̤n̛ ̃m̲ͬ̊y̗ͧ ͔͈̯c̝͏ͨh͓̤͆ri͆s̸̓͝t̸̰͑i̺̿̉a͍̓n ̡̩̞mā̈ri̾͐̎c̫ͫ͝r̷͐a̬͒fͤt ̦͇ͮs͐e͞r̗͉͞ve̬͞r

**damimimimien--** ok so is this a reoccuring joke now

**boze bozington--** christianity is a cult

**Gross man--** your maricraft server is part of a cult

**leaky--** ooh thats good

**crotchney--** tht should be a meme

**Papa ian--** with tshirts and stuff

**anthony tortilla--** you guys imma have to turn off notifications again

**damimimimien--** ok lets play groupchat hushpuppies

**boze bozington--** 1

**boze bozington--** 2

**Mari tacohashi--** c̝͏ͨh͓̤͆ri͆s̸̓͝t̸̰͑i̺̿̉a͍̓n ̡̩̞mā̈ri̾͐̎c̫ͫ͝r̷͐a̬͒fͤt ̦͇ͮs͐e͞r̗͉͞ve̬͞r

**boze bozington--** 3

**LASERCORN--** HUSHPUPPIES


	17. Chapter 17

Things were tense. Shayne is a great actor, but he couldn’t hide his uncomfortableness around Courtney, especially not around Damien. In fact, he was avoiding Damien at all costs.  _ Your plan backfired. _ Olivia said it would be soon when she “breaks up” with him, so Court was very excited. It hurt her to see the people she loved in pain. Especially Olivia’s disgust whenever she and Shayne “kissed”. But good things happened at work. Keyanna had hidden her crush on Xander for a while, but it was he who asked her out. Her exact reaction was this:

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”  _ It’s so cute! They totally deserve each other! _ But tonight they were all going to Shayne’s place after bird night.  _ This is going to be horrible… and awkward… why are we even going… _ So when Damien and his girlfriend got there, they felt weird. Shayne is a really nice guy, so of course, he didn’t tell anyone that they couldn’t come, but the couple still felt like they stood out. 

“You never told me what Olivia and you were talking about that one night,” Dames nonchalantly brought up. Courtney grimaced and pulled him into the bathroom.

“Okay. So Shayne and Olivia aren’t actually dating.” Damien’s eyes widened in surprise.

“They seem to be really pulling off the act, then!” Court nodded.

“Yeah, well, Shayne is just trying to make me jealous. He loves me as much as you do, and I love you both equally. That’s why I asked you to come over, because I was really upset that he was dating someone else. Please don’t be upset, I care about you both so much.” Damien didn’t seem resentful or mournful, just blank.

“I-” Courtney cut him off by kissing him like she had never before. 

“I mean it,” she insisted.

“I believe you,” he whispered.

“Olivia’s going to ‘break it off’ with him soon, so then I’m going to ask if he wants to be our boyfriend. Is that okay?”

“That’s great!” Damien beamed. They kissed one more time before leaving the bathroom. They were caught by a grinning Olivia.

“Oh God, did it happen?”

“Yes!” She breathed. Court looked to Damien and he nodded.

“You got this, bae!” Courtney disappeared through the crowd to find Shayne all alone, drinking a beer and sitting dazedly.

“Hello,” she joyfully sang, sitting next to him and wrapping an arm around him. He flinched at the touch.

“What are you doing? You have a boyfriend!” He objected. She responded by laying her head on his shoulder.

“I love you,” she pleaded. He froze.

“You do? But- you have a boyfriend!” She kissed his cheek and it flushed bright pink.  _ Am I doing too much? Nah. I know he feels it. _

“I do. Damien and I both love you.”

“Are you asking me too…?”

“Yes. Will you?” they were both hyperventilating. 

“I- of course- how did you-” She stopped him with a kiss. 

“C’mon, your boyfriend and girlfriend wanna hang out!” Olivia winked at her as they passed. Shayne cuddled Damien when they saw each other.

“I’m so sorry.”

“No need, man. I’m glad you and Olivia ‘broke up’.” Damien used finger quotes to reveal.

“Wait, you guys knew?” 

“Olivia told me. She said it wasn’t right to hide it from me, she was worried it would have the opposite effect. If she hadn’t told me, it would’ve.”

“Sh*t,” Shayne whispered under his breath.

“But, it’s okay, because we all got what we wanted!” The 3 embraced and stood like that for a few minutes. The night was great, they all cuddled and sat on each others laps and shared beers. They talked and danced and ate Taco Bell. They kissed a few times.

“Aren’t you dating Olivia?” Sarah questioned as she sat on Matt’s lap.

“Get off!” She kissed his cheek, to everyone’s surprise. “God d*mnit! Stop!”

“He likes it,” Sarah joshed. “But really. What about Liv?”

“We weren’t actually dating. These are my kind of people,” Shayne gestured to Courtney and Damien.

“But the kissing-” Flitz reasoned.

“Very uncomfortable.” Everyone chuckled. It was a good night, and Courtney decided she’d never leave Circus Smash.


End file.
